After winning five straight and looking like they might work their way back into contention, the A's had a rough end of the week, getting swept at home by the Royals. The offense went cold, scoring just seven runs in the three losses, dropping Oakland back to 10 games under .500. ? ESPN.com

Through their first 13 games, Oakland hasn't won or lost more than two games in a row. Credit for the winning half of things goes in large part to Stephen Vogt, who is third in the American League in OPS (1.165) despite an appearance reminiscent of the old beer league A's of the late '90s. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball

Week 1 for the A's had four blowouts (they were 3-1 in those games) and three nail-biters (0-3, including two extra-inning games). The Jekyll and Hyde routine isn't likely to be ameliorated by the return of Josh Reddick's boom/bust style to the lineup. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball

Oakland opens the year down two outfielders, as Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick will both be on the disabled list on Opening Day. Reddick is due back soon, and manager Bob Melvin is nothing if not adept at mixing and matching his roster to cover holes. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball